[Official] Italian Grand Prix 2016: Grand Prix Weekend Thread

[Born Racer]

Before Formula 1 jets off around the globe to Asia, North America and South America for its final whirlwind tour that will take in seven Grands Prix in just two months, it’s time for the final encounter in Europe in this 2016 season, at Monza near Milan.

Monza has one of the biggest histories in Grand Prix racing and an enthusiastic crowd (albeit mainly for Ferrari!) flocking to the pistol-shaped circuit every year. The Italian Grand Prix gives us the fastest track in Formula 1 for average speed and the shortest race. In the 50s and 60s, it featured some incredible banked corners that made up a 10km version.

Nowadays, Monza has one of the shortest laps in the season and usually the shortest race time. Michael Schumacher completed the race in 2003 in 1 hour 14 minutes 19.838 seconds, which is a record and he did it a record average speed of 247km/h (153mph). Juan-Pablo Montoya also set the fastest ever lap for average speed that year in qualifying, at 262.242kph (162.950mph). Personally, I always find it a pity that the race can’t be longer, but the sprint race feel makes it different at least.

Racing began here in the early 1920s and the circuit has hosted more Formula 1 races than any other circuit, on the calendar since the inaugural world championship in 1950 and only missing one year, in 1980, when the race was held at Imola. Therefore, The Italian race has the distinction of being the only one to exist in every year of the world championship.

Among its dramatic records, Monza also hosted the closest race finish in history; in 1971, Peter Gethin led a six-car train across the line that was covered by a 0.61 seconds. Gethin’s margin over Sweden’s Ronnie Peterson in second was a mere 0.01 seconds.

The track these days is punctuated by three chicanes and apart from that made up primarily of long straights.

It’s a tricky track that has those awkward chicanes to fumble over, on which drivers try not to clatter over any kerbs which may cause damage or penalties. The Lesmos, two fast right-handers (Turns 6 and 7 on the map) are great fun for the drivers, the reward for getting them right, shooting out onto the next straight with a significantly higher average speed for the lap, the punishment for getting them wrong, big problems for the lap as they hit the gravel trap.

The third and final chicane is a very fast one and propels the drivers and cars towards arguably the most interesting corner, the final one – Parabolica. A long, long right-hander, apexing this just on point hangs on a fine thread of grip. The corner tempts drivers to barrel in there, later and later on the brakes as they build themselves up through the weekend, but they also have to get the start-finish straight right.

Lewis Hamilton did well in Spa to reduce the damage of his penalties in the drivers’ championship, aided by the red flag. However, with a nine-point advantage, it is still so close between him and Nico Rosberg that nothing can be said to be sewn up, despite his run of form. Felipe Massa has announced his retirement from Formula 1 and will no doubt get a lot of support from the fans at the circuit this weekend, with whom he has been popular since his Ferrari days. It will be tough for him to get a podium as he did last year, however, though this would be an excellent achievement.

UK viewers will have a second live Formula 1 race in a row on terrestrial television, on Channel 4 – live Formula 1 just like we always used to have.

To join in our predictions contest on Ten-Tenths, go here: http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...wpost&t=147770

Our Fantasy F1 contest is here: http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=146625

Constructors’ championship standings: https://www.formula1.com/en/champion...standings.html

Drivers’ championship standings: https://www.formula1.com/en/champion...standings.html

Italian Grand Prix tyre selections: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/h...for-italy.html

Circuit length: 5.793km
Number of laps: 53
Race distance: 306.72km
Dry weather tyre compounds: Medium, Soft and Supersoft

DRS Detection Zone 1: just before Parabolica (Turn 11)
DRS Activation Zone 1: on start-finish straight
DRS Detection Zone 2: between the Lesmos (Turns 6 and 7)
DRS Activation Zone 2: on the straight between Turns 7 and 8

Lap Record: 1:21.046 (2004 – Rubens Barrichello - Ferrari)
First Italian Grand Prix: 1921
First Grand Prix at Monza: 1922
First World Championship Grand Prix: 1950
First Grand Prix on current layout: 1981

[Lancsbreaker]

FP1 seems to show a lot of experimentation with low downforce.....Verstappen amongst many seeming to find the car quite loose as it slides around. Button must be running very little downforce as he was 5th fastest in the speed trap.....

Mercedes setting faster times on the Soft than the Supersoft.......

[bjohnsonsmith]

Great Intro as ever.

Monza usually produces a good a race, so looking forward to this one. As next year's race hasn't been confirmed and what with all the talk about Imola, I hope this isn't the last Italian GP at Monza, at least for a while.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Great Intro as ever.

Monza usually produces a good a race, so looking forward to this one. As next year's race hasn't been confirmed and what with all the talk about Imola, I hope this isn't the last Italian GP at Monza, at least for a while.

I needn't have worried, Monza has a three year deal.

http://classic.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/125982

[vodka]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Great Intro as ever.

Monza usually produces a good a race, so looking forward to this one. As next year's race hasn't been confirmed and what with all the talk about Imola, I hope this isn't the last Italian GP at Monza, at least for a while.

but the race is so short, 1:10-1:15h, 1:20 tops

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by vodka

but the race is so short, 1:10-1:15h, 1:20 tops

I'd rather watch a short race that has good racing, than a long drawn out procession and I've seen far too many of those.

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

I needn't have worried, Monza has a three year deal.

http://classic.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/125982

Bloody good news! There's something special about Monza - long may it continue.

[bjohnsonsmith]

It's pretty much the usual story, Lewis on pole with another Mercedes front row shut out. Both Ferraris are on the 2nd row. However, Bottas got in there with 6th spot, followed by the RBRs who seemed a little bit of the pace. Great to see Gutierrez and Haas in the top ten.

[djinvicta]

Don't forget Mad Max with that long run to the first chicane!

[djinvicta]

Love the tifosi there too. Went in 2011, and tried to get a general view of the first chicane. No chance. They had a chainsaw and were cutting down trees from the wood and lashing them 6 foot up the chain fencing and climbing up and standing on them. Amazing scenes and a great venue. The vibes as you walk under the old banked track are spooky..

[Razzzor]

Originally Posted by djinvicta

Don't forget Mad Max with that long run to the first chicane!

That's going to be fun, so many opportunities for him to run another driver into the back of him. Will it finally happen?

[billy bleach]

Oops bet Martin feels a bit of an arse. Disrespecting an entire Nation ....

[bjohnsonsmith]

A clean start but Hamilton made a terrible start and has dropped back to 5th.

[bjohnsonsmith]

That was a great move by Button on Alonso, even with DRS.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Congrats to Nico. Nice to see a Ferrari in the top three at their own GP. If they hadn't opted for the 2 stop, they could have got both drivers on the podium.

[canamman]

Not too much action on track. Crowd coverage was more exciting.
Way to go Vettel, the tifosi appreciates it.

[Aysedasi]

That was almost tedious to watch......

[TrapezeArtist]

Isn't it time to stop pandering to the tifosi? They booed two of the drivers on the podium. That is just plain unsporting.

[Richard C]

Do they sell red smoke bombs at the Monza concession stands!?

Richard

[Aysedasi]

They're special medical bombs containing a preparation to ward off sleep.......

[wolfhound]

It seems that Hamilton's poor start was not his fault but a clutch issue.

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ha...-fault-815725/

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by wolfhound

It seems that Hamilton's poor start was not his fault but a clutch issue.

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ha...-fault-815725/

I'm afraid that it's never Hamilton's fault! So this time it's the equipment; the car's got too much torque, and he sat at the start with the wheels spinning. My heart bleeds.

The problem would seem to be that some of the drivers are having great difficulty operating the movement off the grid when the lights go out, with only a single clutch, and limited launch control (which I thought was banned anyway).

[chris bailey]

[QUOTE=Mike Harte;3670140]I'm afraid that it's never Hamilton's fault! So this time it's the equipment; the car's got too much torque, and he sat at the start with the wheels spinning. My heart bleeds.

It does seem that when Lewis has the problem, it's generally the fault of the car/tyres/track/God/whateverelseyoucanpointafingerat, and when Nico has an issue, it's generally his fault ENTIRELY! Anyhow, that's what it comes across like when you listen to tightywhite jeans man and the clueless Welsh bloke on the C4 TV coverage.

[Lancsbreaker]

To be fair, I'm sure on C4 coverage I clearly heard Lewis accepting that whilst he didn't really know what had gone wrong, it was his fault.......he even said it over the radio to his crew, apparently.

Effectively, Lewis's poor start excepted, the race was over when the Mercs could set their Q2 times on the Soft, rather than SuperSoft. No way Ferrari could make up for the extra pit-stop.

Not the most exciting race, tho I quite liked Alonso's spirit in popping on a set of Supersofts to get fastest lap.......

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Lancsbreaker

To be fair, I'm sure on C4 coverage I clearly heard Lewis accepting that whilst he didn't really know what had gone wrong, it was his fault.......he even said it over the radio to his crew, apparently.

But he changed his mind later on, and the team seems to be prepared to pander to him.

And now another driver, who's never at fault (according to him, that is!). Verstappen blames his poor start on the team's engineers setting up his car too aggressively, meaning that he made a hash of the start. See: http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ve...or-816222/?s=1

Isn't it time that the FIA mandated that all these "tricks" were banished. Let the drivers have a clutch similar to those on you everyday shopping car, along with an engine control system that you would find on the road. Not one that senses that the driver is going to stall, and so automatically puts the car in neutral gear and keeps the engine going. That, to my simplistic mind, is one of the main responsibilities of the idiot behind the wheel, whilst another is that he drives between the white lines on the track.